In an exclusive chat with Ganesh Kalidas, Suntech Geotextile Private Ltd.’s Managing Director Rachit Agarwal provides insights into the company’s operations and its strategy going ahead.
There is no doubting the fact that competition is fast intensifying in the Indian technical textiles’ domain. And amidst the competitors there are a few that have emerged as frontrunners and made a mark in terms of product value and service. One such is Suntech Geotextile (P) Ltd., a leading manufacturer and supplier of geosynthetic products. “At Suntech Geotextile we manufacture geotextile fabrics and have two lines. While one line is for 4.5 metres width, the other one is for 6 metres width. We have been into manufacturing geotextiles since 2013. We are not just a manufacturer but a complete solution provider in the field,” informs Rachit Agarwal, Managing Director, Suntech Geotextile.
“We deal with every type of geosynthetic product. We do in-house manufacturing of geotextiles, geobags, geotubes and geocomposites. We have over 100 stitching machines for the purpose in our manufacturing facility. We are also into manufacturing of other technical textiles which are used for crop cover and hygiene purposes under the brand name ‘NAAD’, which we started in 2018. We have doubled the capacity of this division in 2019, where we make spun-bond nonwoven,” he adds. The company’s products find a variety of application in various fields like highways and roadways making, railways, food protection, erosion control, pond lining, canal lining, soil stabilisation, landfills, tunnels, and other construction works.
So, how did the idea of entering the technical textiles’ domain hit Rachit Agarwal? “When I completed my studies in 2011, we were into manufacturing of stone wool, an energy conservation product. But I wanted to diversify into some other product and that led to geosynthetics. I did some intense study of the market and realised that there was a huge demand and supply gap in the market. That is when I decided to foray into this venture. At that point in time a lot of geotextiles were being imported. It has now grown to the extent that a lot of geotextile is also being exported from our country,” he says.
Key USPs
Listing some of the key reasons that give the company a competitive edge, Agarwal states: “We are focused on quality, services and on-time delivery of our products to the customers. We work on a 360-degree improvement basis to satisfy our customers. We have a sister concern that takes care of our in-house transportation. This helps us provide 100% on-time delivery. We are available round-the-clock for our customers. We can proudly vouch for the quality of our products. We are also constantly striving for improvement each day.”
Pointing out some key projects for which the company has supplied its products, Agarwal says: “We supply our products to many private and government organisations. We have recently completed a major project of Garada Dam in Bundi, where we supplied approximately 8 lakh square metres of geotextiles for the breached and unbreached portions of the dam. Other than that, we have been supplying to WRD Assam, WRD Rajasthan, WRD Bihar, IOCL, NTPC, Larsen and Toubro, Indian Railways, etc., to mention only a few.”
According to Agarwal, lack of awareness is a challenge being faced by the technical textiles’ industry in India. “As of now, I think only half of the contractors are aware about these products and less than that actually use them. So, if the government and even the manufacturers organise conferences, seminars, exhibitions, etc., it will help to create more awareness. Geotextile is a magical product with versatile applications and more awareness needs to be created about it,” he states. The company’s manufacturing facility is located in Chhattisgarh.
“We have a production capacity of about 7,000 metric tons per annum. Because of our location, we have an amazing advantage of being centrally located. We also have sales offices in major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad,” Agarwal informs. The company’s products are also being exported to other countries such as Bahrain, Qatar and Philippines.” Right now, about 30% of our total production is being exported. Our aim is to take SUNTECH® to every corner of the world,” Agarwal says.
The roadmap ahead
Going into details with respect to the vision he has for the company five years down the line, Agarwal states: “Right now we are manufacturing geotextiles and spun bond. However, we would like to start manufacturing other products too. For 2020 we are planning to invest in a new line for woven geotextiles.” Expressing his views on the impact of two key policy initiatives that have been the talking point of the textile industry in the recent past – demonetization and GST – Agarwal remarks that demonetization did not have much impact on the company’s operations.
“Whatever contracts we have are going on smoothly. GST has simplified the business process. Earlier businessmen needed to deal with many things such as excise and sales tax to take care of the business. With GST it is a thing of the past now,” he adds. Agarwal and his team are now all geared up for the Techtextil India trade show. “We are all very excited. This is the first time that we are participating in the event. I had visited the show last time around and have high expectations. I am hopeful and confident that it will be a great show this time too,” he says.